WhatsApp Services To End For BlackBerry OS, Windows Phone 8.0 After Dec 31

WhatsApp services will not work on BlackBerry OS, BlackBerry 10, Windows Phone 8.0 and other platforms older than these versions, starting from December 31, 2017. WhatsApp users who are still on these platforms, would not be able to create new accounts nor re-verify existing accounts next year, WhatsApp said in a blog post.

No WhatsApp services for these OS

Even after the support is withdrawn, the users can continue to use the app on their phone, but would not get any future security updates or new features. As of now, there is no option to transfer the chat history between platforms, but chat history can be send via an email.

“If you use one of these affected mobile devices, we recommend upgrading to a newer OS version, or to a newer Android running OS 4.0+, iPhone running iOS 7+, or Windows Phone 8.1+ so that you can continue using WhatsApp,” the company added.

Further, WhatsApp stated that it would discontinue the support from devices such as the Nokia S40 on Dec. 31 2018, and the phones sitting on Android 2.3.7 or older will not work after Feb. 1, 2020. From June 30, 2017 the phones working on Symbian S60 stopped supporting the messaging app.

“Because we will no longer actively develop for these platforms, some features may stop functioning at any time,” the messaging app said.

WhatsApp first announced about ending the support for these platforms in 2016. However, the messaging app later extended the deadline to June 30, 2017. The deadline was further extended to Dec. 31, 2017.

“This was a tough decision for us to make, but the right one in order to give people better ways to keep in touch with friends, family, and loved ones using WhatsApp,” the company said earlier.

New features coming

WhatsApp services is ending for all these operating systems at a time when the messaging app is rolling out some of the most useful features, such as the option to delete the chat after sending it. This new delete feature allows users to delete a group or individual messages, if sent by mistake or they just changed their mind. However, the option to delete the message is available only for the first seven minutes.

“Deleting messages for everyone allows you to delete specific messages you have sent to either a group or an individual chat,” the WhatsApp team said.

Once a user has deleted the message, it will be replaced with “This message was deleted” on the recipients’ chat.

Further, WhatsApp earlier released some new features on the beta version, and soon these features will be made available on the stable version of the app. One such feature is called PiP, enabling users to multitask while on a video call. Once the feature is live, users would see an icon, which would activate while the user is on a video call.

After the icon is selected, a picture-in-picture mode will start in a new window. Users will also be allowed to resize the video window. Another new feature is private replies. This would enable a user in a group to reply privately to a group member. Other members would not be able to see the private message.

Author: Aman JainAman is MBA (Finance) with an experience on both Marketing and Finance side. He has worked as a Risk Analyst for AIR Worldwide, and is currently leading VeRa FinServ, a Financial Research firm. Favorite pastimes include watching science fiction movies, reviewing tech gadgets, playing PC games and cricket. - Email him at amanjain@valuewalk.com